Changed by our children: God’s plans in our parenting

So much of our efforts as parents go towards supporting and helping our children. From the moment they are born, we work tirelessly to help them…


Your child’s greatest advocate is not you

As parents, there is a word that carries much meaning and significance as we strive to fulfill our calling to lead our children into the fullness of…


When you wish it were different: A special needs mama reflects on the joy and the uncertainty

Cannon turned four years old this week. We celebrated with a family dinner, and his therapist decorated his room with a banner and a few balloons. It…


When your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

The church was packed. The music was loud. Lily clasped her hands over her ears and started to shake. Her father gave her a pair of earphones and…


Self-care tips for parents of special needs children

One weekend in the spring of 2014, my five-year-old son spiked a little fever. By Monday, that fever had jumped to 105 degrees, and he could barely…


Uncovering ability in everyone

From the time we are born, our differences and similarities place us either together or apart. Age separates into different class grades, where we…


Shepherding the heart of my special needs child

Let me give you a quick tour of my life… I am the mom of a child with special needs who has been diagnosed as medically frail. Like most families in…


Loving from afar: A new perspective on Christmas

I sat on my couch, just inches away from my little boy who was playing with his trains on the coffee table. We had been home from school for at least…


A doctor said my daughter couldn’t have “a meaningful life”—but she knows Who gives us meaning

Just before my first child was born, I was driving down the road and thinking, I wonder what it would be like if my child were mentally disabled.…